5 PRACTICAL TIPS TO CHOOSE YOUR CAREER

A few weeks ago someone said to me that they are confused whether they have a career or a job.. There is a distinct difference between a Career and a Job..

A career is a path that a person follows in a selected field of work and usually lasts a lifetime depending on the interest and passion of the person.. Example of a career could be in the Electrical industry in which a person could be an Electrician..

But across his or her lifetime, the electrician might work for different companies or for himself.. He may change his job, but he will still be a career electrician..

For example, I have been in my chosen career of Shipping for the past 26 years but in these 26 years I have had only 4 jobs..

In short, a Job is simply something someone does in order to earn money where as a Career is a passion or lifetime ambition assisted by a series of employment opportunities where the person builds up their skills and gains experience as they progress in life enabling them to become successful in their chosen career..

Nowadays there are several career choices for the younger generation.. Much much much more than there ever was..

Occupational surnames such as Smith, Chandler, Marshall etc followed by the British for many centuries ago and the commonness of the same is proof that there were not many professions or career choices in the past..

Smith was derived from Blacksmith, Chandler meant Candle makers, and Carpenter is self-explanatory..

Can you imagine contemporary occupational surnames based on new age profession/careers..?? Analyst, Herpetologist, Blogger…….. 

On a serious note, it is very important that young people start thinking about careers early in their life.. I would say as early as they can, preferably from middle school to high school onwards.. They should at least have a basic idea of what they would like to do for the rest of their lives.. Of course it is not an easy choice, but you are not alone..

Schools, teachers, parents, elder siblings, family are all there to support and guide you.. These days there are even Career Coaches (yes that is a new age profession) to guide people in making informed decisions about career development and in some cases also assist with preparing and submitting résumés..

In order to identify or understand what career path you should follow, here are 5 (and a bit) tips based on which I recommend that you make a list to help you further..

1. Start with some introspection

a. Find out for yourself who you are

b. What makes you tick and what doesn’t

c. What you are good at

d. What makes you happy

e. What makes you contented

f. What are your strengths and weaknesses

2. Be yourself and don’t aim to be someone else

3. Find out what you are naturally good at (maybe even unconsciously)

a. Drawing

b. Solving puzzles

c. Creating art or something similar

4. If you are passionate about something then find out if you are good at it.. No use being passionate about something but you can’t do it

5. If you are not passionate about anything, go back to Step 1 and start over

The real work will begin after you identify your career.. You still need to

1. Identify how to go about making your chosen career work for you

2. Find out which companies or people can give you the opportunity for you to kick-start your career

3. Find that proper first job to give you a solid footing and foundation towards your career

4. Know if your chosen career will be able to sustain you financially as not all careers/jobs will be able to sustain you, your lifestyle, your family and your needs

If you are lucky enough to have the support of family or someone to take care of your needs while you look for that perfect opportunity, then you can wait..

However if you are not that lucky like many people around the world, all I can say is don’t ever give up on your passion, your dreams, your hopes and most importantly DON’T EVER GIVE UP ON YOURSELF..

About the author : Hariesh Manaadiar is a Chartered Shipbroker who has been in the shipping and freight industry for 26 years. He is also the author of a popular shipping and freight blog called Shipping and Freight Resource where he assists new comers to the industry understand and learn more about the industry, its processes and procedures..